Help Desk Specialist III

asmexternalcareersite; Bethesda (MD); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

ASM Research in Bethesda, MD is seeking a Help Desk Specialist III to provide first-contact technical support for end users across PC and Mac platforms within a regulated federal IT environment.

You will diagnose and resolve hardware, OS, email, access and connectivity issues, create complete incident records, and escalate when needed, all while protecting credentials and following security procedures.

Qualifications

• Clear, and technically accurate support to users with varying levels of technology proficiency.
• Follow established procedures for access control, credential protection, endpoint configuration, incident escalation, and cybersecurity reporting.
• Experience documenting incidents, service requests, troubleshooting actions, resolutions and escalations in an IT service-management or ticketing system.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the first point of contact for end users reporting incidents and service requests through phone, email, web portal, remote-support tools, and walk-up or in-person support channels.
• Diagnose and resolve common PC and Mac hardware, operating-system, desktop-application, peripheral, printer, scanner, docking-station, display, keyboard, mouse, and local-connectivity issues.
• Support enterprise email, directory, authentication, password-reset, account-access, and standard productivity-application issues while protecting user credentials and following approved access-control procedures.
• Apply structured troubleshooting techniques to gather symptoms, reproduce issues when possible, identify likely causes, implement approved fixes, validate restoration of service, and document outcomes.
• Create complete and accurate incident and service-request records that capture user impact, affected equipment or applications, troubleshooting actions, resolution details, priority, ownership, and escalation history.
• Prioritize, route, and elevate tickets based on urgency, user impact, service-level expectations, and the need for specialized desktop, network, security, application, or infrastructure support.
• Configure, install, test, and support standard workstation software, printers, and peripheral devices in accordance with approved endpoint-management and configuration procedures.
• Recognize and promptly elevate suspected cybersecurity events, malware indicators, phishing reports, unauthorized-access concerns, and repeated authentication failures using established incident-reporting procedures.

Skills

Customer-focused support

Clear communication

Troubleshooting

Documentation

End-user support

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Associate degree in IT/CS preferred

Tools

ServiceNow

Job description

The Help Desk Specialist III provides first-contact technical support to end users through phone, email, web-based requests, remote-assistance tools, and in-person support channels within a regulated federal IT environment. The role diagnoses and resolves common hardware, operating-system, application, access, email, peripheral, and connectivity issues across PC and Mac platforms while delivering clear, timely, and customer-focused support.

This position creates complete incident and service-request records, follows established escalation procedures, and helps restore service in accordance with service-level expectations. The Help Desk Specialist III also recognizes potential cybersecurity events, maintains accurate troubleshooting documentation, and partners with specialized technical teams when issues require escalation.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the first point of contact for end users reporting incidents and service requests through phone, email, web portal, remote-support tools, and walk-up or in-person support channels.
• Diagnose and resolve common PC and Mac hardware, operating-system, desktop-application, peripheral, printer, scanner, docking-station, display, keyboard, mouse, and local-connectivity issues.
• Support enterprise email, directory, authentication, password-reset, account-access, and standard productivity-application issues while protecting user credentials and following approved access-control procedures.
• Apply structured troubleshooting techniques to gather symptoms, reproduce issues when possible, identify likely causes, implement approved fixes, validate restoration of service, and document outcomes.
• Create complete and accurate incident and service-request records that capture user impact, affected equipment or applications, troubleshooting actions, resolution details, priority, ownership, and escalation history.
• Prioritize, route, and elevate tickets based on urgency, user impact, service-level expectations, and the need for specialized desktop, network, security, application, or infrastructure support.
• Configure, install, test, and support standard workstation software, printers, and peripheral devices in accordance with approved endpoint-management and configuration procedures.
• Recognize and promptly elevate suspected cybersecurity events, malware indicators, phishing reports, unauthorized-access concerns, and repeated authentication failures using established incident-reporting procedures.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; associate degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline preferred.
• Up to 2 years of hands‑on experience providing IT help desk, service desk, desktop support, customer technical support, or similar end‑user support services.
• Experience troubleshooting common hardware, operating-system, desktop-application, account-access, email, printer, and peripheral issues on PC and Mac platforms.
• Experience documenting incidents, service requests, troubleshooting actions, resolutions, and escalations in an IT service‑management or comparable ticketing system.
• Demonstrated ability to provide clear, and technically accurate support to users with varying levels of technology proficiency.
• Ability to follow established procedures for access control, credential protection, endpoint configuration, incident escalation, and cybersecurity reporting.
• U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust background investigation.

Preferred Qualifications

• CompTIA A+, ITIL 4 Foundation, HDI Support Center Analyst, Microsoft 365 Fundamentals, or a comparable entry-level IT support certification.
• Experience using ServiceNow or a comparable IT service‑management platform for incident, request, knowledge, and asset documentation.
• Experience supporting enterprise email, directory services, user authentication, endpoint devices, and standard productivity applications.
• Experience providing IT support in a Public Trust or similarly regulated environment.

Compensation Ranges

Compensation ranges for ASM Research positions vary depending on multiple factors; including but not limited to, location, skill set, level of education, certifications, client requirements, contract-specific affordability, government clearance and investigation level, and years of experience. The compensation displayed for this role is a general guideline based on these factors and is unique to each role. Monetary compensation is one component of ASM's overall compensation and benefits package for employees.

EEO Requirements

It is the policy of ASM that an individual's race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation or national origin are not and will not be considered in any personnel or management decisions. We affirm our commitment to these fundamental policies.

All recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting for all job classifications is done without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, or age. All decisions on employment are made to abide by the principle of equal employment.

Physical Requirements

The physical requirements described in "Knowledge, Skills and Abilities" above are representative of those which must be met by an employee to successfully perform the primary functions of this job. (For example, "light office duties' or "lifting up to 50 pounds" or "some travel" required.) Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with qualifying disabilities, who are otherwise qualified, to perform the primary functions.

Disclaimer

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.